A Long Night
by angelofmusic534
Summary: Jack and the team are in for a long night as something mysterious attacks Becky. Enraged at the attack, Jack makes it his mission to find out what hurt her, and how.
1. Chapter 1

_**Just realised how long it's been since a new post….for those who don't remember Becky, I'd suggest reading my first two stories :o) But yeah, I thought I'd write a new fic.**_

Jack chuckled as Becky ran past him, her long brown hair whipping behind her. Her dark eyes were bright, and her light laugh echoed off the Hub's walls as she deftly caught the soft parcel Gwen tossed in her direction.

"Hey, that's mine!" Owen called after her, running up the stairs two at a time to catch Becky's wrist as she made to throw it to Toshiko. Becky's laugh turned into a squeal as Owen scooped her quickly off her feet, tipped her over his shoulder and took the parcel back from her outstretched hand. She pretended to frown as Owen put her down again with a cheeky grin plastered on his face, as though the fact that any male member of the Torchwood team saw her light, petite build as an excuse to pick her up all the time annoyed her. The others knew after six months, however, that she took all of their teasing good-naturedly, and if she had a problem with it, they'd be the first to know.

"Once again, beauty outwits brains" Owen teased. Becky raised an eyebrow.

"Funny, I didn't think you had either" she retorted with a smile. Owen laughed sarcastically and pocketed the small package, hiding the address written on the front.

"What is that, anyway?"

"Just something I need to deliver to a mate."

"Who is it?" Gwen asked, just as Tosh piped up with "What is it?"

"Just a friend, and never you mind." Owen laughed. Jack clapped his hands together with an air of authority.

"Right, lets get serious now. Who wants to accompany me on the night shift tonight?" he asked. Ianto raised his hand with a shy smile, and Jack grinned broadly.

"Sorry, Ianto, I have a whole list of night time activities planned out for you tonight" he said with a wink. "Anyone else?"

Becky shrugged.

"Haven't been on one of those for a couple of weeks, might as well."

"Great. OK, gang…"

"Gang? What are we, Mystery Inc?" Owen laughed

"Yeah, I've always thought you'd make a good Daphne. Right, everyone except Becky is free to go home. Becky, I'll see you by the car in about ten minutes." Jack smiled, bade the others goodnight and disappeared in his office.

"I'm going out the scenic route, I think" Owen told the room at large. "See you in the morning."

Ianto stayed put while the others left together, leaving Becky once outside to wait for Jack in the SUV. Owen stood on the platform that slowly rose up to the street above him, the hydraulic system humming quietly to itself. As soon as he knew he was out of sight, he pulled the parcel out of his pocket. He looked at the clumsily written name and address on the wrapping. His address. And his name. Tearing it open, he stared as a soft, pure white scarf tumbled out into his hands. There was no note, but he had only seen that sort of scarf wrapped around just one person's neck.

* * *

"Took your time" Becky called from the SUV as she saw the broad figure of a man walk silently towards her, silhouetted against the light of the pizza takeout restaurant behind him. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd forgotten me!" 

He said nothing.

"Jack?"

Something was wrong, and Becky knew it. That figure was too broad to be Jack. The height was wrong, and Becky guessed that if he spoke, the voice would not be the familiar, light-hearted, American accented tone she had come to love. As the figure approached the car, Becky's eyes widened in recognition.

"Shit!"

Becky scrambled in her bag for the earpiece she kept with her at all times. Hastily turning it on, she spoke into the little microphone that jutted out, it's blue light shining on her paling cheek.

"Jack? Jack, are you there? Please be there"

"Becky?" Ianto's voice filled her with a quick sense of relief. "What's wrong?"

"Where's Jack? Is he with you?"

"I thought he was with you? He left his earpiece here, but he's not with me." He paused, and Becky could tell he was starting to panic.

"Look, Ianto, I'm not sure what's going on, but something weird is happening. Can you check Tosh's computer, are there any alerts going off? No alarms at all?"

"No, Becky, everything looks fine" Ianto replied as he hastily scanned the monitors. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, I really don't know" Becky's voice was starting to shake. "But…I…there's…" Ianto pressed his earpiece further into his ear as the signal started to break up.

"Becky? I can't hear you…" Ianto stopped. He couldn't hear what she was saying before, but there was no missing the sound of broken glass, or that blood-chilling scream.

"Becky?"

Silence.

Ianto whipped out his mobile phone and dialled Jack's number. After two rings he answered.

"Jack, where the hell are you?"

"In my office, and could do with a little help."

Ianto darted to Jack's office and wrenched the door open. Jack was lying on the floor, tied to his chair with thick rope. His mobile lay open on the desk, and Ianto guessed he must have managed to open it with his teeth.

"How embarrassing, some guy was waiting in here for me and pounced as soon as I walked in. I would have fought back if I didn't think it to be some sort of weird and wonderful foreplay. But it was too late by the time I realised. Guess we're not that popular among the public" Jack smiled and tried to cover up his fury at being caught unaware as Ianto hastily untied him, but his smile faded as he took in Ianto's worried expression. "What's wrong?"

"Becky's in trouble. She tried to reach you on the coms, she was in the SUV. Her voice started to break up as she was telling me what was happening, so I couldn't understand what she was saying. The last thing I heard was her screaming."

Jack froze, his grey eyes widening.

"She was looking for you"

Jack shook off the last of the ropes and leapt to his feet. He was out of the door, up the stairs and running into the street within seconds, Ianto following in close pursuit. They sprinted to the SUV, and froze as they took in the smashed window on the passenger side and the slumped figure in the passenger seat.

"My God" Ianto murmured as Jack rushed to open the car door to get to Becky. He joined him in hastily checking for any movement, a pulse, breathing…any signs of life.

"Becky? Becky, can you hear me?" Jack spoke loudly and urgently, in a tone he knew Becky would respond immediately to if she could. Her eyelids fluttered slightly.

"Oh, thank God" Ianto whispered as Jack grasped Becky's shoulders.

"Becky, wake up. Open your eyes, come on" he coaxed gently.

Becky's eyes opened a little. She started to shake violently. Her earpiece was still fastened in place, and Jack could hear it emitting a high pitched, continuous squeal. He removed it and threw it onto the driver's seat, where it landed on top of a leather jacket and a white scarf.

"Becky, it's OK. We're here, and we're going to make sure you're alright" Jack murmured into her hair, as he scooped her up into his arms and handed her to Ianto.

"Go back to the Hub…no, wait, she's not safe there. Go back to your place, take your car and I'll meet you there later. Be fast, but be safe. Call the others and tell them to meet me at the water tower as soon as possible."

Ianto nodded and quickly moved to his car. He laid Becky, still shaking slightly, on the back seat and quickly got behind the wheel. His hands shook as he fumbled with his keys, and finally started the engine. He drove quickly to his flat, breaking speed limits and other laws as he called the other Torchwood team members on the way. Reaching his flat, he switched off the engine and quickly carried Becky indoors, double locking the door behind him. Becky stirred as he laid her on the sofa.

"What…what's going on?" she asked weakly.

"I don't know" Ianto replied. He knelt beside her and softly stroked her hair. "Jack's coming, though. He knows everything, or so he says" he added with a smile. Becky gave a faint smile in return, and then closed her eyes.

"Don't fall asleep yet" Ianto said quietly. "Just stay with me a little longer. Just until Jack gets here, yeah?"

"But I'm tired"

"I know…but just don't go to sleep yet."

Ianto tried to cover up his worry with a smile, but Becky saw through it straightaway.

"I'm not going anywhere" she smiled as she took Ianto's hand "but I'll stay awake until Jack gets here, if you want me to."

Ianto nodded and squeezed Becky's hand tightly.


	2. Chapter 2

Tosh was the first, other than Jack, to reach the water tower.

"Jack, what's going on? Ianto just told me to meet you and the others here, and that he was staying at his flat." Tosh asked as she reached him. "It's freezing" she added, as she rubbed her arms to keep herself warm.

"I'll tell you all together" Jack replied shortly. Tosh knew better than to press him for information, she had rarely seen him look this worried. Within two or three minutes the others had arrived, each equally confused.

"OK, now everyone's here…"

"Becky isn't" Gwen cut in. She froze as she realised what the sudden meeting was about. "Oh, God, Jack, what's happened to her?"

"We don't know, but she's not in a good way. Ianto and I found her unconscious in the SUV. The window was smashed. She spoke to Ianto over the coms, but the signal broke and he couldn't catch what she was saying while she told him what was going on. She screamed, and then…nothing. She responded when we reached her though, so I don't think she'll…well." Jack took a breath and steadied himself. Gwen gave his arm a squeeze.

"Anyway, back to work. And it's gonna be a long night. Owen, I need you to go straight to Ianto's, see if you can figure out what's going on with Becky. Tosh, Gwen, you're staying with me. We're going to find any clue we can."

"I can go back to the Hub and look at the CCTV around the SUV" Tosh suggested.

"Not alone, you're not. Someone can get in. He has done tonight. He could be in there now…I'm not risking another attack on any of my friends. We'll go with you"

As Owen drove quickly to Ianto's flat, Jack, Toshiko and Gwen rushed to the Hub. Tosh loaded up the CCTV footage with a new sense of urgency she had never felt before. Her hands shook as she pointed to the image on the monitor.

"Who's that?" Gwen asked

"I don't think it's so much of a Who as a What" Tosh replied. The signal broke over the coms…they're so advanced that would take quite some range or power to do that."

"A ghost, perhaps?" Gwen suggested. Jack frowned.

"Could be…it would have to have a strong connection with Becky to make her that bad, but it's definitely possible."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, say it's the "ghost" of one of her late relatives, and that relative held a huge grudge against her, that ghost could possibly do a lot of damage…I've seen it happen once before. But it wasn't this bad. I'm not saying ghosts are real…not in the sense that people believe them to be. But…well, you've seen what I mean. Thinking about it, I doubt it is a ghost."

The three of them fell quiet as they watched the figure swoop over Becky, hiding her from the camera's view.

"We've got the information we can get here. Let's go to the SUV" Jack said quietly.

"If only we could see how she was attacked." Tosh mused.

"Well, we didn't. And we can't."

Gwen and Toshiko looked at each other as Jack left. They had never seen Jack quite this sombre. Gone was the fun-poking, soft-hearted and lovable yet strict and serious boss. Now it seemed Jack was just angry. One of his friends was hurt, and those who knew Jack knew better than to lay a finger on those he called a friend.

* * *

Becky snapped out of her doze as somebody knocked urgently on the door. Ianto got to his feet and looked through the peep-hole, sighing with relief as he saw Owen shifting his weight from foot to foot as he nervously waited for the door to open. 

"Owen, thank goodness"

"Where is she?"

"Sofa"

Owen rushed over to Becky and knelt beside her, placing his first aid kit in front of him and snapping it open.

"Hello trouble" he smiled. Becky returned the smile weakly. She was still shaking.

"Hi"

Ianto was surprised at how fragile she suddenly looked, and how thin and light her voice had become.

"Does it hurt anywhere?"

"My head" Becky replied quietly. "It's not so much the pain…but I just feel so…weak. And sick."

Owen felt her pulse and listened carefully to her breathing. He felt her forehead, and then tested her reflexes. After five minutes of looking into her eyes, ears, mouth and carrying out other routine checks, he asked Ianto to fetch some sort of plastic bowl, which he held under Becky's chin.

"Just try rolling onto your front for me"

Becky did as she was told and promptly threw up violently into the bowl. Ianto and Owen exchanged nervous glances as they noted the specks of blood that came up too.

"Burning up again." Owen murmured as he felt Becky's cheeks. "Ianto, I need cold water and a flannel."

As Ianto gently daubed Becky's head with cool water, Owen's phone rang. He moved out of the room to answer it.

"Jack, hi."

"How is she?"

Owen sighed.

"Not good. Her temperature and pulse have rocketed, she's throwing up blood, and she's so weak. Her normal reflexes aren't working, and she's shaking like a leaf. Her breathing is shallow too. I don't know what I can give her to help. I'm doing all I can."

There was a silence at the other end.

"Jack? You there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Just…don't let her…"

"I won't."

"Ask her what happened. Get any information out of her as possible."

"Yeah, sure."

Jack took a deep, shaky breath and hung up the phone. Owen took a moment, and then walked back into the living room. He smiled unconvincingly and knelt beside Ianto.

"You're gonna be fine"

"Sure?"

Owen nodded and gently took Becky's hand in his. "What did you see, Becky? What happened?"

Becky shook her head.

"I don't know. There was a man coming towards me, and I thought I could recognise him. At first I thought it was my uncle coming for me, but then I realised it wasn't. It was a stranger. But I felt so…strange. My chest tightened, I couldn't breathe. My head started swimming…then there was pain…and then it went black. Next thing I knew, Jack was there."

Owen was quiet.

Ianto got to his feet.

"Anyone fancy coffee?" he said quietly. Becky smiled, and then closed her eyes.

* * *

"What's that on the seat?" Tosh asked as Jack opened the passenger door of the SUV. 

"Blood, I think" Gwen replied.

"No, that's just a stain from the Weevil I had to cart around a while back. Nightmare to get off the seat." Jack said, leaning through the door. "Keep a look out for anything"

Jack's eyes fell on Becky's earpiece. He pocketed it, and then turned his attention to the jacket and scarf it was lying on.

"Who's jacket? Becky's?"

"Don't think so. Never seen it before."

Jack frowned and picked up the white scarf. He then jumped as his phone rang.

"Jack, I think you need to get down here. Now. Something's happening." Owen's tone was urgent.

"What?"

"Let's just say she's gone from bad to worse. Much worse. Jack, you're the one she will respond to if she'll respond at all. She needs you."

"On our way." Jack hung up the phone, all colour draining from his cheeks. "We need to go to Ianto's."

"All of us? Me and Gwen can carry on looking if you want"

Jack hesitated.

"Alright, but take this" he handed Tosh Becky's earpiece "and stay together. Stay in touch with me at all times, got that?"

The girls nodded and watched Jack start running down the road away from them. His heart pounded with anxiety and adrenaline as he raced along to Ianto's flat. Knocking rapidly on the door, he rushed in as Ianto quickly opened it.

"What's wrong?" he asked urgently as Owen stood up.

"She won't wake at all, I've tried everything. She's burning hot. If she'll respond to anyone, it'll be you."

Jack sat next to Becky's small form. She was chalk white, and shaking uncontrollably. Jack paled as he took in how vulnerable she appeared.

"Becky? Becky, it's me. Come on, wake up." Jack took Becky's hand in his and gently stroked it with his thumb. "Please, Becky" he whispered.

Owen and Ianto watched helplessly as Jack tried to coax Becky back into reality. After a while, her breathing turned into gasps as she started to shake a little less, and a small amount of colour returned to her cheeks. Jack gently kissed her burning forehead, and closed his eyes. Ianto could see a cloud of fury pass over his face.

"My God, Becky, when I find out what happened to you and who's responsible…"

"Jack? We think we might have found something" Tosh's voice crackled into Jack's earpiece. "Another person has been taken ill, really badly, and the police think he was attacked while alone on the street. They can't explain the sudden illness at all."

"Where are you now?"

"The White Arms pub down the road from where you are now."

"I'll be…Becky?"

With a gasp that rattled even Owen's bones, Becky suddenly froze.

"Shit, she's stopped breathing!" Owen rushed to her side and started to administer CPR. Jack moved slightly closer and slipped his hand into hers.

"It's alright, Becky. We're here, it's OK. Don't give up on us yet" he whispered.

* * *

As Jack, Ianto and Owen's urgent tones sounded in Tosh's ear, she stared as the chalk-white, trembling young man in front of her became suddenly stiff and rigid. She tried to avert her eyes as the last light of life faded from his. 

"What's going on, Jack?" she whispered.


	3. Chapter 3

"Tosh, Gwen, you guys OK?" Jack caught Gwen's arm as he approached them in the White Arms pub.

"Better than that guy" Gwen nodded towards the now lifeless body of a young man being carted off in an ambulance. "Is Becky OK?"

"She'll be alright, according to Owen" Jack rubbed his eyes wearily "Bloody hell, if he hadn't done what he did….He's never seen anything this bad though, so there might be a chance she won't..." He sighed and Gwen squeezed his hand.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. You two are really close, aren't you?"

"It feels like she's become my responsibility. If anything happens to her…I'd feel like it was my fault. She's become such a key part of the team…"

"It would be hard to imagine Torchwood without her" Gwen finished quietly.

Jack nodded. "It's not like we couldn't manage without her, we did great before…but…"

"We'd be a lot worse off without her." Tosh said firmly. She and Becky had grown a lot closer over the last six months, and Tosh was already sick of the thought that Becky was growing weaker by the minute. She took a small device, shaped like a Palm Pilot, out of her pocket. Turning it on, she quickly scanned the area around them.

"There's a strong alien…vibe, I suppose…wherever that guy was" she said. "I reckon it would be there in the SUV too."

"So we've got ourselves another alien" Gwen muttered. "Big surprise, that is."

"What do you reckon we should do next?" Tosh turned to Jack.

"I don't know."

Gwen spun and faced him in shock. Never had she seen Jack stumped before.

"Jack, why don't you go back to Becky? Tosh and I can go to the hospital, see if we can scan the body of the other guy. Maybe we can pick something up there?"

"Sure?"

"Yeah" Gwen smiled reassuringly at Jack, noting how odd it felt to be trying to make Jack feel a little better, rather than it being the other way round. She gave him a quick hug and watched him run the short distance back to Ianto's flat.

"To the hospital?"

* * *

"Back so soon?" Owen attempted a small smile as Jack burst through the door. 

"Anything?" Jack prayed for some small improvement, but Owen shook his head.

"Touch and go, I'm afraid. You can try talking to her again. Might help."

Jack moved forward.

"Becky? I'm here." He lightly stroked Becky's hair and rested his hand on her cheek. "What's happening to you?"

Becky opened her eyes at the sound of his voice. Jack let out a small cry of surprise and grabbed her hand.

"Becky?"

"Hello" Becky replied weakly. She smiled and lightly squeezed Jack's hand. To her amazement, Jack brought her hand up to his lips and pressed a kiss on it, shaking as tears of relief spilled from his eyes.

"Blimey, I didn't think I meant that much" she laughed quietly, brushing the sudden tears away from Jack's cheek. "We can't afford to have you going soft on us"

Owen laughed from behind Becky's head, and she turned to face him.

"Thank you." Becky said simply. Owen nodded in a way that told her he understood that she knew how much he had done to keep her as well as possible.

"Becky, I need you to…" Jack began, before…

"Jack?" Becky's grip on his hand suddenly tightened. A chill swept through the room, and a black figure suddenly seemed to appear from nowhere. Everything went dark, and somewhere to his left, Jack felt Ianto slump next to him. He could hear Owen groaning in pain, and his heart went cold as he heard a small whimper issue from Becky's lips. He felt a pain tighten around his forehead, and, almost like tentacles, it crept around the back of his head too. His face screwed up from the pain, he pulled a sobbing Becky down to the floor and held her close to his chest, trying to shield her from whatever was happening in the room. She clung tightly to his light blue shirt and burrowed quickly into his tight grip.

Then, almost as suddenly as it had appeared, the darkness lifted. Jack opened his eyes just in time to see the figure disappear again. He loosened his grip on Becky slightly, but she still kept her hold on his shirt.

"Hey, it's OK" he whispered, as Owen placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You alright?"

"I think so. You?"

"Better than Ianto. I think he just fainted. Nothing serious."

Jack bent over Ianto and studied his face as he stirred.

"Ianto? You alright?"

"Yeah" Ianto replied weakly. "M'alright." He allowed Owen to pull him to his feet. Jack smiled and helped Becky back onto the sofa. He squeezed her hand.

"Sorry about pulling you onto the floor...thought you could use a squeeze" he grinned. Becky laughed and hugged him.

"You could say that."

Ianto sat next to Becky and put his head into his hands.

"You sure you're OK?" Becky asked quietly.

Ianto nodded. "Just a headache."

"Jack, what the hell is going on?"

"I don't know" Jack said, taking hold of Becky's hand again. "But we'll figure it out. I...Ianto?"

Ianto had just started sobbing uncontrollably.

"Ianto, what's…what's wrong?"

"Memories…just keep flashing in my mind. Lisa. Torchwood One. The times we've almost died. The worst times of my life. They're just…there."

Becky and Jack exchanged glances. Becky slipped her hand out of Jack's and into Ianto's.

"Hey, it's OK."

Jack laid a hand on Ianto's knee, and then withdrew it quickly as Ianto raised his head.

"Ianto, those aren't tears"

Becky leaned forward.

"Oh my God, that's blood!"

She leapt back in surprise as Ianto wrenched her hand from his and flung himself towards her, his hands locked firmly around her neck.

* * *

Gwen and Tosh stood next to the body of Peter Reynolds in silence. Tosh scanned every inch of his body, confirming her suspicions that some alien influence was indeed among them. 

"I don't know what it is" Tosh admitted. "I just know it is an alien. Some creature is managing to suck life out of us, right under our noses too."

Gwen shook her head and studied the young man's face, her head slightly tilted to one side.

"Could have changed the world" she murmured. "Could have done anything. And look what's happened to you"

"He needed someone like Owen around" Tosh said quietly. "Becky was lucky she did."

Gwen nodded and jumped as her phone rang.

"Jack?"

"No, it's Owen. You two need to get down here now."

"What…."

Owen had hung up.

"Come on" Gwen and Tosh made their way quickly towards the exit.

* * *

"Ianto, what the hell has gotten into you?" Jack tried to wrestle him away from Becky, who was now gasping for air. Tears rolled down her cheeks as pain flooded through her body. No amount of struggling seemed to loosen Ianto's hold, however, and soon Becky's gasps were becoming weaker as she started to become light-headed. Owen threw Jack's phone aside and helped Jack prise Ianto's hands away from Becky, and between them, they managed to loosen his grip just enough for Becky to wrench herself free. She landed on her hands and knees on the floor, and Jack threw all of his weight into shoving Ianto as far away from her as possible. Owen pinned Ianto to the floor and kept him down as Jack rushed to Becky, who was massaging her neck. He gently prised her hands from her throat and stared at the angry blisters that were forming on her skin. 

"Jack, get me a sedative from the case"

Jack passed Owen a filled syringe and watched him pierce the needle into Ianto's skin. Owen made his way over to Becky once Ianto had ceased struggling. He swore as he looked at the angry burns on her neck and gave her a cold compress to soothe the pain it was causing her.

"Jack? Becky?" Gwen's voice and a loud, urgent knocking sounded from outside the door, and Jack jumped up to let them in. The two women stopped in their tracks as they took in the sight that greeted them. Ianto was unconscious on the floor, and Owen was gently applying a cream to Becky's neck.

"What happened?"

"Ianto went crazy. He just lunged at Becky. He tried to strangle her."

"Ianto did…that can't be right."

"I know. It's always the quiet ones that have a nasty side." Jack ran a hand through his hair and knelt back down beside Becky. Tosh moved to study Ianto. She gently rolled him onto his back, and withdrew her hands sharply away.

"Christ, Jack, he's burning! I mean, really, really hot. No wonder Becky's neck's burnt."

Jack covered Ianto's hand with his and winced. Tosh ran a quick scan, and her eyes widened.

"Whatever attacked Becky and that other guy…it's got to be in Ianto. The readings are so strong…there's really no other explanation for them."

"So how do we get it out?"


	4. Chapter 4

The five of them looked at Ianto. Becky sidled close to Jack and he put his arm around her protectively.

"Why him?" Becky let a couple of tears escape her eyes, and she buried her head in Jack's coat. He held her tightly as she cried for the person she felt she was losing, even if he was right in front of her. Apart from Jack, out of the Torchwood team, she probably felt closest to Ianto. They had shared jokes and stories. They both understood what it felt like to lose someone they had assumed would be there forever. They had helped each other through different situations, from making coffee to crying on each other when everything was going wrong. Becky felt as though she could tell Ianto anything, and she knew that feeling was reciprocated. Jack felt the emotion rush straight from Becky's heart and tried his best to comfort her.

"He'll be OK. We'll get that thing out of him, just you wait"

"What if we wait too long?"

Jack held Becky at arms length and looked her directly in the eye.

"Hey, that's not your sort of thinking. I almost lost you tonight. Do you think I'm going to let that happen to Ianto too?"

Becky shook her head and let Jack pull her back into a hug as Toshiko scanned Ianto again. She suddenly clapped a hand to her mouth and sprinted from the room. Owen followed her, and a minute later, Gwen, Jack and Tosh could hear her throwing up again. Jack sighed and knelt down beside Ianto.

"We'll get you back to normal" he whispered, as he gently wiped away the streaks of blood from his cheeks. He turned as he heard Owen enter the room.

"She's OK, but she's worryingly pale and she threw up blood again. It's almost like that thing is living off her and Ianto."

"And Reynolds" Gwen cut in.

"Maybe…I think you might be onto something…that could well be the case" Jack said. "But that doesn't help with us getting that thing out of Ianto"

"No" Owen agreed, stumped. Becky crept back into the room, her face chalk white. She knelt back down beside Jack, who gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. He frowned as she pulled away.

"My breath must stink something awful" she muttered.

"Eurgh, it really does reek" Jack laughed half-heartedly and pulled her close again. "But I don't care. This isn't a time to be self conscious."

Becky gave a weak smile. She reached out with a wet flannel she had taken from the bathroom and gently daubed at Ianto's face with it. She felt the heat from Ianto's skin rise through the flannel, but ignored it as she noticed his breathing became a little steadier. Jack took Ianto's hand and felt his pulse.

"Seems to be slowing a little" he noted. "And the heat doesn't seem quite as bad."

The two of them stared as a tiny little wisp of black escaped Ianto's mouth.

"Owen, get some ice. A lot of it. Gwen, help him. Now." Jack barked. He stood up. "I think our Ianto could use a bath."

Becky looked at him.

"You think we can get it out?" she said eagerly. A smile broke out over her face as Jack nodded.

"Now that's your kind of thinking" he grinned.

* * *

Owen and Gwen ran out of the door and down the street to the White Arms pub. Owen threw himself against the door and cursed as he ricocheted back off as it refused to open.

"Shit, it's locked!"

"Must be from earlier. Haven't cleaned up yet, I suppose."

Together, they shouldered the door until it burst open. Ignoring the alarm that beeped around them, Owen vaulted over the counter and took a large metal container from under the taps.

"One order of ice, coming up" he grunted, as he heaved it on top of the counter. He and Gwen took one end each of the heavy container and moved as fast as they could back to Ianto's flat.

* * *

Jack slid his arms under the unconscious Ianto's limp form, and carried him gently to the bathroom. Becky followed and watched as he laid him in the bathtub.

"You sure this will work?"

"Jack, we're back!" Owen called from the front door.

"We have to try. Owen, we're in here!"

Owen and Gwen rushed into the bathroom, and Tosh helped them tip the ice over Ianto. Becky stood behind his head and gently slipped her hands underneath it as the bath filled with ice and freezing water. She stroked his cheeks with her thumbs and leant forward so she could whisper into his ear.

"Ianto, come on. You're still in there, I know you are." She gave Jack a frightened glance as Ianto began to shake, and he knelt down beside her, giving her a look that told her to continue.

"Ianto, please. You can't give up on us now, you just can't. What would we do without you?"

Jack laid a hand over Becky's.

"It's working…look"

Black wisps began to issue from Ianto's mouth, growing thicker by the second. Suddenly, Ianto let out a gasp and sat upright, his eyes wide. The last of the smoky black substance poured from his mouth and hung suspended in the air. Jack let out a small cry of relief and pulled Ianto towards him, half dragging him out of the bath. He placed a light kiss on his lips and held him tightly for a second, before turning to face the black wisps hanging in the air. The team watched as they grouped together to form a solid looking figure. Becky edged in front of Ianto and took his hands in hers, wrapping his arms around her front. Ianto held onto her hands tightly and pulled her close, burying his face in her hair to hide the now clear tears that were falling silently down his cheeks. Jack stood to look directly at the black form in front of him.

"What are you?"

Unsurprisingly, no answer came. However, Jack seemed to realise what it was.

"Oh…you're from the Boeshane…" he leant back against the bath and took a deep breath.

"Jack, what is it?" Gwen knelt in front of him.

"It's a shape shifter. It comes from where I do. That's why I didn't recognise it at first, I've never seen it take that form before. It's following me, coming after me. The darkness. I know why it's here."

Becky and Ianto exchanged glances, and Tosh sidled a little closer to Owen, who took her hand. He turned and gave her a small smile.

Jack stood up straight again, and faced it directly.

"Go on then."

The black mass swooped down on Jack and swirled quickly around his head. Gwen crept away, Owen drew Tosh closer and Ianto's grip on Becky was so tight she could barely breathe.

"What's happening?" Becky whispered.

It seemed to take an age before the darkness circling Jack seemed to lift. It got thinner and thinner, until it wasn't there anymore. Jack slid to the floor, out of breath and shaking. Gwen moved next to him.

"What the hell was that, Jack? Where is it?"

"Gone"

"What…"

Jack turned his head to look her in the eye.

"When I worked for the Time Agency, two years of my memories were taken from me. That was those memories being returned. I suppose they must have escaped."

"Sounds like you"

"Yeah" Jack laughed. "Although…I kind of wish I could let go of them again."


	5. Chapter 5

Back at the Hub, Owen let the white scarf slide through his hands again. He understood now. Jack had explained everything. The memories had left something different for everyone. Owen had his reminder of Dianne; Becky had the reminder of her uncle before she was attacked. He was sure the others must have had something too, and as he watched Toshiko he could see her throw what appeared to be a pendant of some sort into a bin bag lying at her desk. He approached her a little cautiously.

"You OK?"

"Fine" Tosh nodded and smiled. Owen made to reach out an arm to hug her, but thought better of it. Tosh laughed.

"I was wondering, Tosh…did you fancy that drink?"

"I was just off home, it's awfully late, Owen"

"Oh, yeah, it is. Well, this weekend?"

"OK then" Tosh's smile widened and her eyes gleamed. "That'd be great."

Owen grinned and watched her walk away. He looked down at the scarf in his hand and let it fall into the bin bag. He had his own memories. He didn't need the scarf to remember Dianne. She was alive in his mind, but that didn't mean he was going to spend his time dwelling on the past.

* * *

Ianto sat back in his armchair and sighed. Becky sat next to him and put an arm around his shoulders.

"How you feeling?"

"Warmer, thanks. You OK?"

"Better" Becky smiled. Ianto grinned and took her hand in both of his.

"I'm sorry, Becky. I almost killed you tonight."

"No, you didn't. It wasn't you."

"Yeah, but…"

"Yeah, but nothing. Seriously, you didn't do anything."

Ianto's CD player switched on and started playing a slow ballad. He reached for the remote and blushed a little.

"Sorry, it's been doing that recently. It was mine and Lisa's song. Never stop dancing to it, she wouldn't."

Becky smiled and took the remote out of his hand. She stood up and pulled Ianto to his feet.

"Show me what you've got then" She laughed as Ianto grinned and took her waist. She rested a hand on his shoulder and let him take her other hand in his.

* * *

Gwen let herself in and crept into the bedroom. Rhys was sitting awake.

"Bloody hell, you've been ages. Everything alright, love?"

"Just a bit of an odd night"

"Want to tell me?"

Gwen looked down at the key in her hand. She smiled at the memories it helped her recall.

"I think I'm OK, actually."

* * *

"Jack, are you OK?"

Becky emerged onto the roof of a tall building, where she knew Jack liked to stand and watch the world go by. She could just make him out, the darkness was enveloping him like a blanket. He turned to face her.

"I'm always OK."

"Meaning you're not. What's up?"

Jack laughed, but the laugh quickly died. "Just…those memories, is all. Turns out…I'm not really that nice of a guy."

He went quiet, and Becky did not press him for information.

"Look, Jack" she said after a minute or two. "I don't want to know what those memories are unless you want me to know. But don't let them turn you into something different, just because they're there again. You've done fine without them, and if you don't like the person you're becoming because they're back, then don't become that person. I mean, I remember plenty of things I don't want to, but I'm not letting them define me. Two years of memories is nothing, especially by your standards."

Jack stared at Becky for a second, and then smiled.

"You're great, you know that?"

"I do my best" Becky grinned. She held out a hand and Jack took it. He gave it a slight squeeze, and together they walked back down to ground level.

"Where've you been for the last hour then?"

"Ianto's. He's a hell of a good dancer, you know."

"Really? Better than me?"

Becky laughed.

"Maybe" she said cheekily, and then squealed as Jack promptly picked her up and tipped her over his shoulder.


End file.
